The Music and the Spoken Word broadcast is available on KSL-TV, KSL Radio 1160 AM/102.7 FM, ksl.com, KSL X-stream, BYU-TV, BYU Radio, BYU-TV International, CBS Radio Network, Dish Network, DirecTV, SiriusXM Radio (Channel 143), and on the Tabernacle Choir’s website and YouTube channel.Why does this happen? Is it because we let the stresses and busyness of life fray our nerves and sap our self-control? Or do some people actually believe that incivility is good for success? Perhaps they think that being brash and impulsive somehow helps them get ahead in life.The program is aired live on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. on many of these outlets. Look up broadcast information by state and city at musicandthespokenword.org.“Civility lifts people up,” she says. “We will get people to give more and function at their best if we’re civil. Incivility hijacks performance. It robs people of their potential. … When we have more civil environments we are more productive, creative, helpful, happy, and healthy. We can do better. Each one of us can lift others up.”Tuning inThe research shows otherwise. Georgetown University professor Christine Porath, who has researched civility for many years, found that people who are civil are viewed as better leaders. And their civility lifts the people they lead, resulting in more productivity and more creative ideas.Think what could happen in our homes, offices, classrooms, and countless other places if we just treated others with more civility. Think what could happen to our relationships, to our health and well-being. Yes, life is stressful and often uncivil, but we can change that—little by little—as we choose to embrace civility.Editor’s note: The “spoken word” is shared by Lloyd Newell each Sunday during the weekly Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square broadcast. The following was given February 24, 2019.To do that, there are some obvious behaviors we ought to avoid: criticizing, mocking, or ignoring others. But just as important are the things we do instead. Do we compliment people on a job well done? Do we listen and seek to understand another person’s views? Do we give others the benefit of the doubt? Do our words, our actions, and even the expression on our face communicate to people around us that we value and respect them?We’ve all experienced it: a family member, a coworker, or a perfect stranger says or does something to us that is downright rude. Maybe it was an impolite comment, an offensive joke, or some other sign of disrespect. Yes, we’ve all been on the receiving end of such incivility, and perhaps, from time to time, we’ve even been on the giving end.

The Apostles will be addressing stake leaders, ward leaders, and Church members with temple and family history callings. Their messages will focus on how family history can be used to strengthen families as well as how to organize family history service in your ward.On Thursday, February 28, Elder David A. Bednar, Elder Gary E. Stevenson, and Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will speak in a live-streamed event on family history.Watch the live video stream on Thursday, February 28, 2019, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. mountain standard time. The event will be available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French. For those unable to watch the event live, on-demand viewing will be available here.During Family Discovery Day in 2018, President Dallin H. Oaks, First Counselor in the First Presidency, talked about the eternal importance of doing family history work.“As we unite in this sacred work, we discover the existence and great qualities of those who have gone before, we gather them into our hearts and the binding links of our family organizations, and we connect them into eternal families through the ordinances of the temple.” Elder David A. Bednar, Elder Gary E. Stevenson, and Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will speak in a live-streamed event on family history on Thursday, February 28, at lds.org/familyhistory.

Elder Ulas and Elder Patane, who are both serving in the Marshall Islands/Kiribati Mission, were riding their bikes on the island of Tarawa when they saw a car speeding toward them. They watched the car veer off the road and flip upside down into a lake. Elders serving in Tarawa, Kiribati. Two elders serving in the Marshall Islands/Kiribati Mission helped save four lives.Read the full article here.The two missionaries ran toward the half-submerged car, and Elder Ulas entered the lake while his companion, Elder Patane, called for an ambulance.Two missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints saved the lives of four men after their car crashed into a lake on the Pacific island nation of Kiribati, Newsroom reported on February 21.One of the rear car doors was jammed but a front door could be opened, and Elder Ulas pulled out all four men to the safety of the lake bank.According to the article, “By the time the fourth man was pulled out of the submerged vehicle, the other three men had run away. However, the driver had sustained serious injuries and was bleeding. Acting quickly, Elder Ulas used a piece of the broken windshield to cut the shoulder straps off of his backpack to make a tourniquet to slow the blood loss.”The injured driver thanked the missionaries for their bravery and commented that members of the Church “really live what they preach.”

About the 1926 Census of the Prairie ProvincesSearch all Canada records.Census DatabasesFamilySearch has a large, growing collection of free, historical Canada records.LAC provided the digitized images, and FamilySearch created the index. People with Canadian roots can now easily find information about their ancestors who might have lived in the provinces of Manitoba (639,056), Saskatchewan, (820,738), and Alberta (607,599).Since 1871, a Canada-wide census has been held every 10 years. However, during the early part of the 20th century, the population of the Prairie provinces expanded rapidly, so there was a need for more frequent population counts in those provinces. It was decided to conduct a census of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta in June 1906 (between the Canada-wide censuses), and every 10 years thereafter.FamilySearch International and Library and Archives Canada (LAC) have partnered to publish online the 1926 Canadian census of the Prairie provinces. The free database provides a searchable index of 2 million names linked to 45,000 digital pages of the historical regional Canadian census.

Heaton, an Emmy Award-winning actress most recognized for her motherly roles in family television shows Everybody Loves Raymond and The Middle, is part of a lineup of keynote speakers and entertainers headlining the conference, scheduled for the week of February 27–March 2 in the Salt Palace Convention Center.In addition to finding out more about her roots, Heaton is a big advocate of “belonging” to a big family. Her mother was one of 15 children, and she often runs into people claiming to be a cousin. She won’t be surprised if that happens at RootsTech, she said.The conference will be a new experience for Shimabukuro, who admitted he’s never been to anything like RootsTech. He’s honored to be a keynote speaker and looks forward to connecting with people through his music, he said.As in past years, attendees can also wander through an expansive expo hall of vendors or attend more than 300 classes, breakout sessions, and activities for individuals and families designed for different ages and levels of interest in family history. Some classes and events will be broadcast live through RootsTech.org.For more information on RootsTech, visit RootsTech.org.“I never thought anyone would take an interest in my story. I lived it, I’ve been through it, it just happened. I’m humbled and touched that people are taking a liking to the story and find it sort of enchanting,” Brierley said. “I'm out here trying to help others with the knowledge I have and share it with the world. My book, my story in the movie, it’s my gift to the world.” Attendees walk through RootsTech in Salt Lake City on Saturday, March 3, 2018. This year’s RootsTech is scheduled for February 27–March 2 at the Salt Palace Convention Center. Photo by Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News. In this May 10, 2012, photo, Fatima Munshi, mother of Saroo, holds up a photo from their reunion in February 2012 at her home in Khandwa, India. Living in Australia, Saroo Brierley, 30, was reunited with his biological mother, Munshi, 25 years after an ill-fated train ride left him an orphan on the streets of Calcutta. Brierley will appear at this year's RootsTech, scheduled for February 27–March 2 at the Salt Palace Convention Center. Photo by Saurabh Das, Associated Press.The keynote lineup includes Saroo Brierley, author of his international best-selling autobiography, A Long Way Home, and the subject of the 2016 film Lion; Jake Shimabukuro, a ukulele musician and composer; and Steve Rockwood, CEO of FamilySearch International.Heaton wants to know more about her family history. She recently submitted a DNA test—her second—to Ancestry.com because the first results left her a little confused. In this January 24, 2011 photo, recording artist Jake Shimabukuro poses for a portrait in New York. Shimabukuro will appear at this year’s RootsTech. Photo by Jeff Christensen, Associated Press.“I always love having that connection to family and this sense of pride. I think it’s important to feel like you belong to a family, to a tribe. It gives you a sense of place; it gives you a sense of history,” Heaton said. “To know where your family comes from and what they’ve gone through for you [to be] here today somehow feeds your soul.”RootsTech organizers also hope to increase customer service by providing more information desks and having “ask me” volunteers available to answer questions.“For years I've been telling everyone I’m Irish Catholic, grew up in Cleveland. But when I took the test, I was like 99 percent British,” Heaton told the Deseret News in a telephone interview. “So I’m curious to see what else they find out about me and my family.” Deborah (Patricia Heaton), right, often had a contentious relationship with her mother-in-law Marie (Doris Roberts) on Everybody Loves Raymond. Heaton will appear at this year’s RootsTech. Photo courtesy of CBS.People can still register for the conference by going to RootsTech.org. The theme for the conference is “Connect. Belong.”“I’m looking forward to the conference,” Shimabukuro said. “Nothing brings people together like music: the bonding, the communication, the connection, the emotional stimulation. Enjoying music together—spending time together—is extremely powerful. There’s something magical about it.”Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and his wife, Sister Susan Bednar, will speak to a Latter-day Saint audience on Saturday morning as part of Family Discovery Day. The event will be streamed live on the home page of LDS.org beginning at 9:30 a.m. mountain standard time and on lds.org/familyhistory in English. Members of the Church around the world are invited to participate.The ukulele virtuoso described family parties, or “family jam sessions,” where there’s no shortage of musical instruments and there’s always a stage with a sound system. Shimabukuro hopes to reciprocate the fun feeling of bonding through music with those at RootsTech.Derek Hough of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars and members of the BYU ballroom dance team will also be featured in an event called “Connecting through Music and Dance.”Because of the movie and his book, Brierley’s story of becoming lost at age 5 in India, getting adopted, and being raised in another country before finding his way back decades later is well-known. He hopes his story will resonate messages of hope, determination, identity, and love of family, he said.Patricia Heaton is one of the celebrity keynote speakers coming to Utah for RootsTech 2019, but the actress has a more personal reason for showing up at the largest genealogy conference in the world.

Applications to audition for the Bells on Temple Square are due by March 1. The Tabernacle Choir, Orchestra at Temple Square, and Bells on Temple Square perform during their Christmas concert in Salt Lake City on Thursday, December 8, 2016. Photo by Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News.The Bells on Temple Square rehearses every Wednesday evening and performs two annual concerts. Music genres range from hymns to folk, classical, jazz, pop, gospel, holiday, patriotic, and more. The Bells even tour occasionally—the last two out-of-state tours were in Rexburg, Idaho, in 2015 and Garden Grove, California, in 2017.

The Bells on Temple Square finish their performance of the “Celebrate With Joy” concert in the Tabernacle on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Friday, November 20, 2015. Photo by Ravell Call, Deseret News.

Applications should be emailed to leanna.willmore@gmail.com, or they can be mailed to The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, 50 N. West Temple St., Salt Lake City, Utah 84150. Applications are not accepted in person.See thetabernaclechoir.org/articles/bells-on-temple-square-auditions-2019.html for information.Criteria for candidates for Bells on Temple Square include being between 20 and 45 years old, living within 100 miles of Temple Square in Salt Lake City, being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in good standing and having expertise in bell-ringing or instrumental skills, according to thetabernaclechoir.org.

While previously, people may have thought that everything they needed to know about the scriptures could be learned in Sunday School, that is no longer the case, Top explained. And while the shift toward discussion-based classes and more personal responsibility has been very purposeful, there are potential downsides as well.Describing the increase she has noticed in her own awareness as she studies the scriptures, Kim Garrett of the American Fork Utah East Stake noted the importance of context in the scriptures.“There are more resources available than we tend to avail ourselves of,” he said. And once the research has been done, the spiritual understanding is easier to come by.As an expert on ancient scripture and a professor of religious studies at Brigham Young University, Gaye Strathearn knows more than the average person about the New Testament. Studying the scriptures is one of her many passions—one that she discovered while studying in Jerusalem many years ago and changed the course of her career—and as such, she was thrilled when she found out the new Come, Follow Me curriculum would begin with the New Testament.The manuals include questions, study tips, and links to other materials related to each topic as study helps for those who may not feel naturally inclined to study in an in-depth way. But as Top put it, the Come, Follow Me manuals are just the tip of the iceberg for what is available.In November 2017, then-Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke at a devotional at BYU in Provo, Utah. During his address, he made a clarification about his calling as a General Authority for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.“If it can last, I think some great things can happen,” Strathearn said. “I mean, if we’re getting people to really read the New Testament, I think that is always a plus.”Both Strathearn and Top noted that while some people may not feel they know where to turn for further resources for their study, the process is rather simple nowadays.That concept applies to personal and group scripture study, now more than ever, because of the personal responsibility placed on members to study and learn individually through the new curriculum.“It really doesn’t take a ton to search for new resources,” Top said. “For example, I have found cross-references on LDS.org to places like the BYU Religious Studies Center, the Maxwell Institute, and Book of Mormon Central.” And while people may not feel like they know where to begin, Top said it sometimes just takes a bit of initiative to begin a search that leads to great resources.The manuals are a great starting point, Strathearn said, but the expectation should be to go beyond what they provide if an individual hopes to really understand the nuances of the scriptures and their context.“I’ve never seen him do that before,” Strathearn said. “And as I’ve talked to people about this, there does seem to be an energy associated with [the curriculum].”“I can’t go to the Lord with a superficial pondering of the scriptures and the study questions in Come, Follow Me and expect the Lord to pour deep knowledge into my head,” Top continued. “But If I am serious about my studies and I have taken responsibility for my own learning, then I can expect—and I personally know that it happens—that He is going to give me greater knowledge than I got from my own studies. But that’s after you’re willing to pay the price.”Noting how he turns to experts and scholars for help in answering his questions about various topics, Elder Ballard encouraged others to seek answers to their questions by turning to “the best books” and seeking to learn “by study and also by faith.”For many in the Church, the new curriculum has brought a renewed energy to Sunday School classes and personal and family study time since it was announced in general conference of October 2018.Noting the importance of understanding the context in which the scriptures were written and the intentions behind what was included by their authors, Strathearn explained that a two-fold interpretation is necessary to increase spiritual and practical understanding of the scriptures and their doctrines. She explained that readers need to understand how to interpret the text according to the text itself—including the authors who wrote it—as well as interpret the text in a way that is personal and applies to them currently as individuals and families.Learn by study and also by faithUsing Elder Maxwell’s same analogy in relation to all scriptures and the new curriculum, Brent Top, a BYU professor of religious studies, explained the danger in moving quickly through complicated spiritual and doctrinal concepts.He continued, “The strength of Come, Follow Me can also be the weakness of it if we’re not careful. We can end up having a lot of discussion without a lot of insight and scriptural understanding if we’re not doing our part.”And as Strathearn noted, since the beginning of the new year, even her nephew, who recently returned from his mission, has been getting together with friends each Sunday for scripture study groups that focus on the New Testament chapters outlined in the curriculum for the week.It’s an energy Strathearn hopes will last and doesn’t prove to be just the result of it being new.“The expectation is more on us diving in and studying the standard works. And the responsibility is on us to get all the additional resources that we can find in our own personal and family study and then come to class prepared to share with others,” Top said. “And I think that’s a pretty big shift that may come as a bit of a culture shock for many members.”“If all I’m doing is looking at [the manuals], then I’m probably not studying the scriptures as in-depth and as seriously as I should. They should be a springboard into both a desire for more information and the seeking of greater information,” Top said. “I think that’s the danger … to think that everything we need to know about the New Testament is found in those very basic initial questions of Come, Follow Me. They’re meant to be a catalyst to greater study, not the end of my study.”Sharing a personal philosophy he has applied in his career, his Church service, and his role as a parent, Top said, “Ninety percent of inspiration is information. So I’ve got to have enough information to know what to take to the Lord and then say, ‘Guide me and help me to understand this better.’”“The scriptures and the doctrine of the gospel are like the mother lode gold vein in a mountain, but sometimes we are content to pan for little bits of gold dust downstream when in reality we can strike the mother lode if we get out the heavy equipment and do some serious excavation.”The tip of the icebergDescribing the Book of Mormon as a mansion in which beautiful and exciting new truths and concepts can be found at every turn, Elder Neal A. Maxwell noted at a 1986 BYU symposium that, too often, members of the Church read through the scriptures in a rushed manner, like hurried tourists.“It is important to remember that I am a General Authority, but that does not make me an authority in general,” Elder Ballard said.“I think that’s what it means when it says that we are responsible for our own learning, but I worry that we haven’t taken that seriously enough,” he said.Too often, people are content to study merely what is listed out for them in a manual and then move on without digging for more, Top noted. Latter-day Saint youth study together in Uruguay. The new Come, Follow Me curriculum can help members dive even deeper into scriptural study. Photo by Sarah Jane Weaver.“If people are not doing their own studies and then they’re just sharing feelings without necessarily having paid the price to know the scriptures, then all of the class will be lessened or short-changed a little bit,” Top said. “So while we emphasize that it’s an individual responsibility, it’s an individual responsibility that will affect the entire ward.”That type of excavation often includes searching beyond what is provided in the scriptures and manuals themselves and asking difficult questions, Top said.As Michele Bourque of the Lacey Washington Stake explained it, the new curriculum seems to “target those who don’t naturally do personal study.”The home-centered, Church-supported curriculum puts a heavy emphasis on individual and family learning and study. It also shifts Sunday School classes to a more discussion-based format than existed in the past, Top noted.“I am thinking a lot more about what it felt like to be the people in the scriptures—how it felt to hold the baby Jesus or what John the Baptist felt when he baptized the Savior. It has opened my spiritual eyes to new principles and feelings,” Garrett wrote to the Church News.“If you’ve got a solid foundation of what the author is trying to do and trying to say, then you can make responsible applications to personal life and the Spirit will guide you,” Strathearn said. “It’s a balance that can make our study and interpretation of scripture richer and more nuanced.”

The youngest Featherstone, Ben, is recently married and is a prospective master’s student in psychology. He has curly blonde hair and a bright smile to match.“I really appreciate people who try to make sure that I’m happy, but sometimes it’s really difficult to tell if I’m actually competent with something when everyone keeps praising me instead of providing constructive feedback.”Finding comfort in the scriptures The six Featherstone sons smile for an old family photo. From left: Ben, Nate, Sam, Zach, Joseph, Jake. Photo courtesy of the Featherstone family.Lori Featherstone remembers how at one point, there weren’t enough hours in the day to help all her sons with their homework. She said she often knelt down and talked with her Heavenly Father, telling Him how overwhelmed she felt and how much she needed Him.“Most kids are cool … but occasionally we’d run into some real jerks,” he said. “And there are a lot of things I can tolerate, but kids making fun of my brothers was not one of them.”Though all six sons faithfully served missions and are members of the Church, Scott and Lori Featherstone explained that there were times when their sons who are deaf struggled to fully accept who they were and how God felt about them.Despite these moments, the entire Featherstone family feels incredibly grateful for all the experiences they have shared together.Reading became a sort of safe haven for the boys. Since being deaf was lonely at times, Lori recalled that her youngest son, Ben, would spend many of his early years locked in his bathroom for hours—but he wasn’t crying. He was reading the Book of Mormon.“I’ve been in settings when everyone accepted my deafness and didn’t treat me as a deaf person but as an ordinary person, and it’s wonderful,” Zach Featherstone agreed. “But when I’m in a setting when someone sees me as ‘deaf’ person … that becomes hard because they allow my outer challenges to define who I am, when I would rather have them judge me on my inner person.”As the Featherstones prepare for their next adventure as mission presidents of the Washington Vancouver Mission in July, Lori Featherstone said she’s anticipating that, just like raising six sons, the mission will be “a lot of hard work and a lot of time on our knees, [but] well worth it.”Three of the Featherstones’ six sons were born deaf.“It’s not hard being deaf, but it’s hard when others make it hard,” he said. “I detest it when people make an inspiration of me purely because I’m deaf, and that happens often.“There are some things you could do that would help—so let’s talk about your green shoes, your orange pants, and your DI [Deseret Industries] wardrobe and see what you can do,” he said.“We started [river-rafting] all the time. … All of our sons had a goal to be [a] guide,” said Scott Featherstone. “All of these adventures became the anchor, something that made us unique.”One Mother’s Day, Lori Featherstone walked into the living room thinking she was finally going to be gifted with furniture after 10 years of marriage, but instead, she was greeted by a large, blown-up raft.“My parents taught me how to read the Book of Mormon at a very young age and showed me through example what a gospel-centered family looked like,” Ben Featherstone said.Still, there have been a lot of ups and downs in the 38 years since Scott and Lori Featherstone were married and shortly afterward learned that their second son, Joseph, was deaf. For the first few months of his life, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. But when her son was 9 months old, Lori suspected something wasn’t quite right.After they took Joseph to the hospital for a hearing test (which involves placing large headphones on a child’s ears and playing a loud clicking track), the doctor told the Featherstones that their son wasn’t responding to anything.But the Featherstones didn’t just teach sign language—they were dubbed the neighborhood house where everyone came to play outdoors. This was especially helpful for their sons who are deaf, since they participated in all the activities without feeling left out of conversations.Zach Featherstone is married with kids and is a recent medical school grad. The Featherstone family loves to go river-rafting together. Lori Featherstone says the activity helped her deaf boys feel at home. Photo courtesy of the Featherstone family.Despite these resources, some teachers still underestimated the Featherstone brothers’ abilities. Zach Featherstone recalled how one teacher thought he was incompetent due to his pronunciation. He was sent to a special education class for reading, even though he had the necessary skills.Six sons under 10 years old—three sons who could hear, three sons who could not. The Featherstone family smiles on a skiing trip. The three deaf Featherstone boys say they don’t like preferential treatment because they are deaf. Photo courtesy of the Featherstone family.“It’s going to sound a little crazy,” Scott said. “But we literally went in and read all of the blessings the prophets had promised with regards to prayer, scripture study, family home evening, and we said, ‘We need these blessings. … We are going to claim all the blessings of obedience.’”The oldest Featherstone brother, Jake, who hears, noted that there were definitely times when kids were mean to his brothers.“He pulled himself up on the crib and wasn’t looking at me and I went up to him and said, ‘Boo!’ and he didn’t react,” Lori Featherstone said. “So I called Scott up on the phone and said, ‘I don’t think Josey hears.’”“I don’t think we are any different from other families besides the fact that we sign,” Joseph Featherstone said.With six children—whom their parents affectionately called the “six musketeers”—the Featherstones knew that faith had to be the foundation of their family culture.Faithful scripture study was one of the many things the Featherstones prioritized. In order to have family scripture study, they ensured that all their sons, especially their sons who are deaf, became voracious readers so they could develop a love for the scriptures.“We went home heartbroken,” Lori Featherstone said.Joseph, Zach, and Ben Featherstone are deaf, but they don’t think of themselves as an “inspiration.”“I don’t have a girlfriend. Do you think it’s because I’m deaf and have red hair and glasses?” Lori and Scott Featherstone recalled their son asking.“We owe [these ward members] our lives. They completely invested in our kids,” Scott Featherstone said.His older brother, Joseph Featherstone, is director of sales and is married with kids. He echoed his brother’s words, “[And] please don’t say, ‘Oh you’re deaf? I’m sorry.’ Just say, ‘That's awesome!’”The Featherstones also hired a speech therapist, who did hundreds of hours of speech therapy with the boys, as well as learning sign language and using interpreters at school.Jake, who can hear, said he wouldn’t change his family’s experience at all.“I love being deaf,” he said. “It’s my way of expressing myself. It’s my culture. It’s my way of life. It’s my joy.”Early on in their marriage, Scott and Lori Featherstone described themselves as being “dirt poor”—it took years before they fully furnished their home. The reason for this, Scott Featherstone explained, was because every spare dime they had went toward buying new hearing aids.Primary teachers in their ward learned sign language, setting off a domino effect, and soon other Church leaders, family members, and friends showed an interest in learning to sign. Oftentimes, Lori Featherstone would sign the Primary program, another ward member would sign sacrament meeting, and another would sign in priesthood.On one occasion, Zach Featherstone came home from school and told his parents that he was the only one of his friends who didn’t have a girlfriend.While each has a cochlear implant, Ben says it “pales in comparison” to hearing people’s ability to hear. Their primary communication comes through speaking and signing with their families—something that provides advantages most people wouldn’t even think about.“I would love to hear the majestic Messiah music by Handel. I would love to hear my children laugh. … But I don’t mind being deaf because it’s what I grew up with.”Scott Featherstone had a quick response.Faith and Featherstones go togetherBen Featherstone added that being deaf is everything to him.From that point on, all of the following four sons had a hearing test after birth. Their third son, Zach, had the same result as his older brother: deaf. The next two sons, Sam and Nate, both had their hearing, and their youngest son, Ben, was deaf as well.“I can hold a crying baby all night long and be unfazed,” Zach Featherstone joked.“Being deaf has made me … more in tune with people’s body languages and their mannerisms because we don’t rely on your voice or your tone, we just watch and listen to you,” Joseph Featherstone said.The Featherstones gave their sons a variety of experiences from skiing to camping and river-rafting, which gave her boys a sense of belonging.“One of the things I know brought them great comfort … was the scriptures,” said Lori Featherstone. “That was the first thing they could understand and read [at a young age].”Angels all around“We just held each other and cried,” Scott Featherstone agreed. “It was a tough day.”“I can have spiritual experiences during church because there’s no distractions at all,” said Ben Featherstone.“We don’t bite. Just come and talk to us.”Joseph Featherstone stated that being deaf has shaped his perspective—in this life and in the next.“If they hadn’t been deaf, think of all the amazing experiences, learning, and growing we would have missed out on,” he said. “I’m grateful for my brothers—the way they are.”“I know I will get my hearing back after I die, but that still won’t take away my experience, my identity, my upbringing, and the way I see the world from my eyes,” he said.“I snuck up behind him and was banging pots … and he didn’t respond until I got just to the side of him when he could feel the air movement,” Scott Featherstone recalled.Lori Featherstone acknowledged that being deaf could be isolating for her boys—but one of the oft-repeated phrases ringing through their home was “brothers before others,” and this helped the boys remain close. Plus, they were quick to find humor in certain situations.“In all the time we were raising those six boys, I don’t think there was a day when the gospel wasn’t a very intrinsic part of what was going on,” he said. “We were noticing the Lord’s hand in their lives multiple times a day.”But Joseph, Zach, and Ben Featherstone want to set the record straight: they are just like everybody else.But she wasn’t the only angel who helped the Featherstones along the way.Ben Featherstone added, “Talk to us like regular people! And we’ll talk to you like regular people, too!”“We want you to feel like you can treat us as your equal. Because we are your equal,” Ben Featherstone told the Church News.The Featherstones even offered sign language classes in the summer where all of their sons’ friends could learn to sign, eight of whom eventually served American Sign Language missions.When Scott Featherstone returned home from work, he decided to do what he terms “the pots and pans test.” The Featherstone family poses for a group photo. All of the Featherstone boys are married. Photo courtesy of the Featherstone family.One day, there was a knock on the door. A woman in her neighborhood offered to tutor and read with her sons every day after school, which she did for two years. Lori Featherstone called her a “literal angel.”

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced on Friday, February 15, that missionaries would be able to communicate with their families each week on preparation day via text messages, online messaging, phone calls, and video chats, in addition to letters and emails. Missionaries await the arrival of President Russell M. Nelson and Elder Dale G. Renlund at a missionary meeting on September 1, 2018, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced Friday, February 15, that missionaries worldwide are now authorized to communicate with their families each week on preparation day by text messages, online messaging, phone calls, and video chats, in addition to letters and emails. Photo by Rex Warner, Deseret News.“I know that the most recent changes made for communication between missionaries and their families is an inspired decision. President Nelson has promised us that as we study the new Come, Follow Me curriculum, the power of families will be unleashed! I can’t help but think about the possibilities of this promise combined with our missionaries out in the field. Being able to experience our daughter’s missionary spirit in our home gave us greater resolve to do better to do our part to help in the Lord’s work.”
—Jada Rhodes of the Rigby Idaho Stake, communicated with Facebook“It was wonderful!! We loved hearing first-hand about those she and her companion are teaching and what the Church is like in Spain.”
—Klare Davis of the Murrieta California Stake, communicated with Facebook“It was nice but a bit different. It might only happen once in a while, but we are glad that she has the opportunity to contact us on P-day if/when she needs it.”
—Rob Spencer of the Red Deer Alberta Stake, communicated with Google Hangouts“It was wonderful for the whole family. I think that this will greatly help us to be aware of how our missionary is progressing and at the same time inspire us to do the same by listening to their experiences and sharing their testimony with us. We feel very happy for this new way of being in contact with her, and I believe that this will help many other missionaries to make the decision to leave because there are some who are afraid of being separated from their families and knowing that they can be in contact with their families will be an incentive to make the decision to leave.”
—Federico Saldana of the Chicago Illinois Stake, communicated with Facebook“I was so afraid to disrupt him with this new change, but I got more information out of our seven-minute talk than the last four months of emails!”
—Kerry Frost of the Cody Wyoming Stake, communicated with Facetime“My grandson said he did not want to do this yet. He would wait a bit. He would be coming home soon and wanted to continue focused on missionary work.”
—J. E. Nielson of the Little Salt Lake Little Cottonwood Stake, communicated by email“It was very gratifying to talk to our missionary and hear about his experiences tracting, teaching investigators, and building friendships with other missionaries. I felt like we had a better opportunity to encourage our son, hear his thoughts and feelings. He is not one to write newsy emails. I feel like we got a better feel for his mission and growth talking one on one.”
—Tina Barrett of the Pocatello Idaho Highland Stake, communicated by phone“It was such a special blessing in so many ways. … To learn about the work that he is doing right now and to see the joy in his face and hear the excitement when he told us about the baptism they have scheduled for early March was so special. It brought his mission to life in a way that emails just can’t. We are so happy to be able to have more communication with him and to be able to support him in this way through the last five months of his mission.”
—Emma Dadswell of the Bristol England Stake, communicated with FaceTime“[We] like to communicate by emails as it helps to preserve the record. Our son also sends out emails to a large group of friends and family members, which is a great missionary tool. We all wish to continue that tradition, but we certainly love to see our son every week, even just briefly. We are thankful for the Lord’s tender mercy shown to us through this new announcement.”
—Dong Wang of the Omaha Nebraska Stake, communicated by email“It was great. But we all agreed that it wasn’t necessary on a weekly basis. We don’t want him to feel pressured to call. But we let him know how much we love him, and that we are here if he ever does want to talk instead of email.”
—Barbara Anderson of the Draper Utah South Mountain Stake, communicated by phone“It was a wonderful experience. It was reassuring to talk to him and know that he is well, happy, and determined to continue. It was wonderful to feel the spirit of the mission is to be more actively involved in missionary work.”
—Lindemberg F. Leite of the João Pessoa Brazil Centro StakeMonday, February 18, marked the first preparation day that missionaries around the world were able to utilize the new communication capabilities with their families. The Church News asked for readers to tell us what their first experience speaking to their missionaries on preparation day meant to them and what technology they used. Here are some of those responses:“My daughter just came home off her mission a week ago and her brother who is serving currently was able to Facetime her. They haven’t seen each other in 18 months and it will be 3 1/2 years by the time his mission is over. It was pure delight to listen to their conversation. They were quoting scriptures together, talking about mission rules and the handbook, and stories galore! What a wonderful blessing already this has been!”
—Erika Bywater of the Tremonton Utah South Stake, communicated with Google Hangouts“My daughter is serving in the Scotland/Ireland Mission. Being able to see her face to face made me feel like Christmas and Mother’s Day has come all together. We were able to chat about her week and I could witness the excitement about her teaching pool first hand. It was incredible to be able to do this.”
—Ceri Breeze of the Merthyr Tydfil Wales Stake, communicated with Skype

Women walk to the Conference Center to attend the women’s session of the October 2018 general conference. Photo by Laura Seitz, Deseret News. A new Ensign magazine article outlines how women are essential participants of the priesthood.

Both men and women have access to the power of the priesthood, which is the means “through which God accomplishes His great work.”

Women are essential participants of the priesthood and act as “presidents, counselors, teachers, members of councils, sisters, and mothers.”

Women and men have the authority to perform their callings “under the direction of one who holds priesthood keys.”

The article cites a quote from President Dallin H. Oaks, First Counselor in the First Presidency, who stated that women have the authority of the priesthood while they are fulfilling Church callings.

“We are not accustomed to speaking of women having the authority of the priesthood in their Church callings, but what other authority can it be?” he asked. “When a woman—young or old—is set apart to preach the gospel as a full-time missionary, she is given priesthood authority to perform a priesthood function. The same is true when a woman is set apart to function as an officer or teacher in a Church organization under the direction of one who holds the keys of the priesthood.”

In regards to temple worship, the article explains that men and women can be given power from on high through the endowment. This power includes receiving revelation, being aided by ministering angels, and finding the strength to resist temptation, among others.

However, according to the article, there is often confusion when it comes to priesthood power. Again referencing President Oaks, the article states that the priesthood is “not a status or a label” and that it’s important to remember that “men who hold the priesthood are not ‘the priesthood.’”

The article states that studying the priesthood is beneficial for both men and women and gives a list of ways members can be more fully involved in learning about it.

Sister missionaries speak to visitors on Temple Square during the women’s session of the October 2018 general conference. Photo by Laura Seitz, Deseret News. A new Ensign magazine article outlines how women are essential participants of the priesthood.

Elder V. Dallas Merrell, who served as a General Authority Seventy from 1992 to 1997, passed away at age 83 on Thursday, February 21, 2019, at the Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, Utah.

He dedicated his career to helping organizations identify and develop potential leaders and managers—a job he considered to be an extension of the gospel by helping people foster their full potential.“One thing I learned was that people needed a friend and that I could be a friend,” said Elder Merrell of his time as a student. “I was drawn to people and was drawn toward the building of good works and helping others, which influenced very much my subsequent career choices.”Funeral arrangements are pending.During his time as a General Authority, Elder Merrell served in various parts of the world, and he noted his love to travel and see the growth of the Church around the world.While visiting Tahiti in the 1990s, Elder Merrell told the Church News, “You find out it is the same gospel on this island as it is anywhere else in the Church. They worship the same God and use the same scriptures.”Prior to his call as a General Authority Seventy, Elder Merrell served first as the president of the Utah Salt Lake City South Mission from 1986 to 1989 and then as a regional representative from 1989 to 1992. He married Karen Dixon in 1959; they are the parents of nine children.Elder V. Dallas Merrell, who served as a General Authority Seventy from 1992 to 1997, passed away at age 83 on Thursday, February 21, 2019, at the Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, Utah.He was born in Basalt, Idaho, on January 25, 1936, and exemplified a commitment to the gospel and service throughout his life. Raised on a farm, Elder Merrell had planned to pursue farming through his university education, but his life changed course when instead of attending Washington State University as planned, he enrolled at BYU, where he studied economics and sociology. He continued on to receive two master’s degrees and a doctoral degree from BYU and the University of Southern California.

Sister Nygaard is a Primary music leader and a former ward Relief Society president; ward Relief Society, Young Women, and Primary presidency counselor; and missionary in the Germany Munich Mission. She was born in Salt Lake City to Merlin Rex Lybbert and Nola Lybbert.

Leah and Rogelio D. Montemayor Jr.

Frank B. Parker, 62, and Linda Parker, five children, Cordata Park Ward, Huntington Beach California Stake: Guatemala Retalhuleu Mission, succeeding President Matthew M. Goodman and Sister Kay A. Goodman. Brother Montemayor is a stake presidency counselor and a former district presidency counselor, mission presidency counselor, bishop, ward Young Men president, and missionary in the Philippines Manila/Naga Mission. He was born in Manila, Philippines, to Rogelio Dionisio Montemayor and Lourdes Sanga Dionisio.Martin J. Nygaard, 59, and Louise L. Nygaard, four children, Bloomington Hills 6th Ward, St. George Utah Bloomington Hills Stake: Idaho Boise Mission, succeeding President Randall D. Bartlett and Sister Diana Bartlett. Sister Parker is a ward Primary presidency counselor and a former ward Young Women president, ward Relief Society and Primary presidency counselor, and Young Women adviser. She was born in Wichita, Kansas, to Catherine Marie Kirby and Calvin Clarke Kirby.Illinois Chicago MissionSister Andrews is a Primary teacher and a former stake Young Women president, ward Primary president, Relief Society teacher, and ward music chairman. She was born in Newport, Rhode Island, to Calvin Russell Shipp and Laurie Anne Shipp.California San Bernardino MissionSister Montemayor is an institute teacher and a former ward Relief Society, Young Women, and Primary president; ward Relief Society presidency counselor; Sunday School teacher; seminary teacher; and missionary in the Philippines Cagayan de Oro Mission. She was born in Piddig Ilocos Norte, Philippines, to Segundo Agbayani and Editha Foronda Baraoidan Agbayani.

Carlos and Rosa Santos

Frank B. and Linda Parker

Rogelio D. Montemayor Jr., 51, and Leah Montemayor, four children, Valencia Ward, Dumaguete Philippines Stake: Philippines Cagayan de Oro Mission, succeeding President Kim S. Antenorcruz and Sister Maria Rina C. Antenorcruz. Sister Lono is a Relief Society teacher and a former ward Relief Society and Young Women president and branch Relief Society teacher. She was born in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, to Mfuni Raphael Muzenga and Ntumba Jeanne Kashala.Chile Santiago West MissionSister Camejo is a seminary and institute teacher and a former ward Relief Society, Young Women, and Primary president; Sunday School teacher; and missionary in the Argentina Rosario Mission. She was born in Lanus, Buenos Aires, Argentina, to José Enrique Sigal Suárez and Susana Elvira Suárez.Brother Parker is a mission presidency counselor and temple ordinance worker and a former stake president, stake presidency counselor, bishop, and missionary in the Costa Rica San José Mission. He was born in Salt Lake City to Richard Arnold Parker and Helen Barton Parker.

Democratic Republic of the Congo Mbuji-Mayi MissionBrother Shumway is a stake missionary preparation teacher and a former stake president, bishop, bishopric counselor, ward Young Men president, and missionary in the Pennsylvania Philadelphia Mission. He was born in Springerville, Arizona, to Wilford Douglas Shumway and Dixie Ann Jarvis Shumway.Brother Andrews is a stake president and a former high councilor, bishop, bishopric counselor, temple ordinance worker, ward Young Men president, and missionary in the Venezuela Caracas East/Barcelona Mission. He was born in Tampa, Florida, to James Hoyt Andrews Sr. and Evelyn Estelle Andrews.Brother McKinnon is a stake presidency counselor and a former bishop, stake executive secretary, bishopric counselor, elders quorum president, Young Men adviser, and missionary in the México México City South Mission. He was born in Phoenix, Arizona, to John Gordon McKinnon and Lois Ann Boyer Lynn McKinnon.Sister McKinnon is a Sunday School teacher and ward music director and a former stake Young Women presidency counselor, ward Relief Society and Young Women president, and ward missionary. She was born in Salt Lake City to Larry Max Jenson and Sharlene Cutler Jenson.The following new mission presidents and their wives have been called by the First Presidency. They will begin their service in July of 2019, with the exception of the Parkers who will begin serving in April. Biographies of other mission presidency couples will be published throughout 2019 on news.lds.org. (See other published biographies.)

Edgar Hinostroza Cordova and Rocio Trujillo de Hinostroza

Sister Hinostroza is a Primary teacher and a former stake Relief Society and Young Women presidency counselor and ward Relief Society, Young Women, and Primary president. She was born in Lima, Peru, to Cirilo Trujillo Saenz and Luz Aurora Vincente Herencia.

Martin J. and Louise L. Nygaard

Brother Camejo is a bishop and a former stake presidency counselor, mission presidency counselor, high councilor, bishopric counselor, and missionary in the Argentina Rosario Mission. He was born in Lanus, Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Julio Eliseo Camejo and Josefa Corso de Camejo.Perú Trujillo North MissionBrother Loureiro is a branch presidency counselor and a former Area Seventy, stake president, stake presidency counselor, high councilor, bishop, Brazil MTC branch president, and missionary in the Brazil Recife Mission. He was born in São Paulo, Brazil, to Mauro Rodrigues Loureiro and Thereza Pacheco Da Costa.Brazil Juiz de Fora MissionBrother Nygaard is a former high councilor, bishop, Young Men special needs Mutual adviser, Primary music leader, elders quorum presidency counselor, and missionary in the Indonesia Jakarta Mission. He was born in Salt Lake City to Richard Olaf Nygaard and Ellen Jackson Nygaard.

Adrián J. and Laura V. Camejo

Sister Mitchell is a Primary music leader and a former ward Relief Society and Young Women presidency counselor, Primary teacher, Relief Society teacher, and missionary in the Ukraine Donetsk Mission. She was born in Provo, Utah, to Carl William Bacon II and Christine Pyper Bacon.

“The Temple” helps link family history efforts in gathering together families with preparations for temple attendance and ordinances. Its activities include “Visit the Temple,” “Plan It!” “Be Baptized for an Ancestor,” and “Remembering My Temple Experience.”Those ages have been amended by the December 2018 announcement now allowing children to obtain a limited-use temple recommend beginning in January of the year they turn 12.“My Family” extends the discovery to living family members and deceased ancestors, with its 15 activities including “Family Traditions,” “Fill In The Blanks,” “Family Collections,” and “Touch What They Touched.”Activities start in technology-free fashion through simple writing, drawing, conversing, and collecting efforts. Digital involvement includes taking or storing photographs, doing audio or video recording, or using computers, smartphones, and online resources.
“About Me” and “My Family” activities do not require a FamilySearch logon; for the “The Temple” activities, one needs to be a member and to have a logon.President Dallin H. Oaks, First Counselor in the First Presidency, underscored the opportunities at home. In a June 1989 Ensign article, then-Elder Oaks wrote: “At home we can keep our journals and gather pictures and data for the books of remembrances of our family members. We can gather and record information available through living relatives. We can write family histories and share their great lessons with our children. … Our effort is not to compel everyone to do everything, but encourage everyone to do something” (“Family History: ‘In Wisdom and Order’”).“More will remain active,” he said, “more will be protected as the storms and fierce winds strike.”And Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, speaking in the 2018 RootsTech leadership session, called on those “new and tender in the gospel”—including new converts and 11- and 12-year-old youth to find ways to be focused on family history efforts.After several years of preparation and testing, FamilySearch’s “In-Home Activities”—divided into three sections—is online and available for individuals and families to discover who they are and how they fit with their family, both present and past.Wendy Smedley, FamilySearch marketing director, witnessed several families in Chile—living in humble conditions—connect, laugh, and engage in the simple family history efforts. “It brought a positive spirit into the homes,” she said, adding that involvement in the in-home activities “sparks joy and reminds people of the beauty of the family.”The “In-Home Activities” help realize the encouragement of Church leaders for families, children, and youth to be involved in family history and temple efforts.“About Me” is a personal discovery about one’s self, with the 11 activities including “Where I’m From,” “The Year I Was Born,” “All-About-Me Box,” and “Remembering My Photos.”Older children and teenagers more readily grasp the “My Family” activities and the opportunities to connect with their heritage. They’re more apt to handle the advanced technological and digital options for activities.“We give some technology options,” said Mike Sandberg, a FamilySearch senior product manager, “but we always start with conversations.”Elder Renlund promised that involvement by those “new and tender” individuals would have a “halo effect” on all those who help. “Faith in the Savior of family and friends who help will increase,” he said.Listening to her son Sam share insights about his ancestors over dinner with his grandparents was a welcome reward for the family’s time spent testing the activities and initiating conversations.Testing was done first with focus groups within the United States, following by an international expansion. For some test groups where economic limitations precluded online capabilities, printed materials were used by parents and children to read and carry out activity descriptions.The three Arrington siblings—Sam, age 18; Grace, 14; and Thomas, 10—were learning about their great-great-great-grandparents from Italy and their great-great-grandparents from the Netherlands through conversations with their parents, Brandon and Emily. Then, using the Google Earth program, the family was digitally transported to Vialfré, Italy, and Delfzyl, Netherlands.Younger children tend to be drawn more to the “About Me” activities—looking at and talking about themselves and seeing how they fit into family timelines, experiences, and photos.“There’s such a power in connecting with the past,” said Emily Arrington of the Orchard Ward in the Farmington Utah Oakridge Stake. “It’s really bringing our family into family history.”“These are easy and natural opportunities for children to have their first experience with family history in a fun and interactive way,” said Sister Joy D. Jones, Primary General President. “What a wonderful opportunity to draw families together, to get to know each other better, and to cherish family ties on both sides of the veil. These activities can deepen understanding of eternal identity and the promised blessings of power and protection as families’ hearts are turned to one another.”The “in-home activities”“The payday” FamilySearch's landing page for desktop users looking for “About Me” and “My Family” in-home activities to help children and youth participate in family history activities. CREDIT-Intellectual Reserve, Inc.The Arringtons’ “Walk Where They Walked” experience happened some six months ago. But earlier this month, Emily Arrington’s parents were over for dinner, and 18-year-old Sam enthusiastically recounted to them all about the family’s Google Earth visits to and the Street View walk-throughs of Vialfré and Delfzyl.“That,” she said, “was like the payday.”Upwards of 100 families across the globe tested the activities, which also can be shared via email and several social media platforms. Available in 10 languages, the activities can be accessed online via desktop computers, tablets, and mobile devices, with plans to make PDF versions available.Realizing prophetic teachingsHe added: “We invite all new converts and new 12-year-olds to discover and gather their families and become active participants in the plan of salvation. We desire to involve 11-year-old children and even younger children in family history work and encourage them to qualify for a limited-use temple recommend when they turn 12 years old.”The Arringtons were testing a new FamilySearch discovery activity called “Walk Where They Walked,” one of nearly three dozen such activities helping individuals—particularly children and youth—get their first taste of simple yet engaging family history efforts.And with the Street View feature, the family was doing virtual walk-throughs of the Italian village and the Dutch town, seeing historic structures still standing today. “Your ancestors walked on these same streets—right past this church,” Emily Arrington told them. “This is where they lived.”

Elder Quentin L. Cook, center, met with Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes, left, at the Basilica de Guadalupe on February 9, 2019. Elder Quentin L. Cook waves to the audience during the Inter-American Forum of Collaboration and Interfaith Dialogue on Religious Freedom, held in the Mexican Senate in Mexico City on February 15, 2019.During the talk, which was translated into Spanish and was broadcast on networks that cover the Mexican Senate, Elder Cook called for people of faith to stand firm and united in defending religious freedom.In addition to the youth devotional, the leaders participated in two devotionals for young married couples—one in Mexico City and one in Mérida. The couples, who had been married up to five years, “looked really good and were excited to meet with leaders and receive counsel,” said Elder Cook. Elder Quentin L. Cook and other Church leaders participate in a youth devotional in Mexico City on February 8, 2019.Elder Cook visited Mexico City, Mérida, and Cancún February 8–17—addressing members and missionaries; meeting with government, religious, and civic leaders (including Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes at the Basilica de Guadealupe and Governor Omar Fayad Meneses); conducting an area review; holding priesthood leadership meetings; and participating in a religious freedom forum.“It was like Christmas morning,” said Elder Cook. “There was real joy.”Shortly before the end of the devotional, Elder Cook pronounced a special blessing for the young people of Mexico. He said, “I invoke a blessing on you to be the most faithful generation of members of the Church that this country has had.”Amid a world of shifting values, “they are moving forward in faith.”He said Elder Cook’s remarks were received well. Many commented about his directive to stand up when religious intolerance occurs.“My principal message is that we must not neglect our responsibility to defend religious freedom,” he said.Elder Cook said he was pleased to be gathered among people of faith and goodwill “in a country and in a region of the world where the great majority of the population values faith, family, and the ethical values that religion inspires and teaches.”Looking over the congregations left Elder Cook with an “overwhelming feeling of gratitude.”“The participants and the audience were very appreciative,” said Gary Doxey, associate director for the International Center for Law and Religion Studies and former president of the Mexico City South Mission. “Several commented that freedom of religion and conscience is important in a religiously diverse society.”“People smiled. They were happy. There seemed to be a genuine delight in being members of the Church,” he said.Elder Cook praised the work of the Area Presidency and their wives. “They do an excellent job,” he said. “They are really making a difference.”During his remarks at the Inter-American Forum of Collaboration and Interfaith Dialogue on Religious Freedom, Elder Cook said, “There are a growing number of people who do not feel accountable to God for their conduct and attempt to diminish the rights of those who do feel accountable.”A country of 110 million people, Mexico is home to 1.4 million Church members, 220 stakes, 32 missions, 13 temples, strong leaders, and multigenerational families, said Elder Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.”Elder Cook teaches by encouraging and uplifting others. He is very practical in his approach to teaching the gospel and helped priesthood and auxiliary leaders with functional ways to implement the various changes that have been announced by the Church over the last few years. Leaders and members left the training meetings with added vision, hope, and energy.“ Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles gathers with other Church leaders at the Church’s Mexico Missionary Training Center. The mural in the background is from Benemerito de las Americas, formerly the Church’s high school that was converted to the MTC in 2013.Even attending a meeting of that kind in Mexico—where traffic is heavy—is a “remarkable testimony of how they feel about the gospel.”Elder Cook, Elder Clayton, and Bishop Waddell addressed missionaries at the Mexico MTC as well as in Mexico City and in Mérida.Elder Valenzuela said Elder Cook devoted his time during the assignment to ministering to “Church Leaders, members, missionaries, and some other very important persons in the religious, government, and business environment.” He taught them doctrine and principles to remember as they deal with life challenges and seek opportunities to serve others in the kingdom, he said. Elder Quentin L. Cook addresses Latter-day Saints during his assignment to Mexico February 8–17, 2019.“One of the highlights for me was watching members greet Elder Cook and receive a spiritual witness of his divine calling as an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ,” said Elder Pingree. “For many, it was their first time meeting an Apostle, and the members’ love of the Lord and appreciation for modern-day prophets was evident.Joining Elder Cook on the program were Archbishop Rogelio Cabrera López, the archbishop of Monterrey and president of the Mexican Conference of Catholic Bishops; Diana Álvarez Maury, the Undersecretary for Religious Affairs for the government of Mexico; Senator Kenia López Rabadán, chair of the Mexico Senate’s Human Rights Committee; and Senator Óscar Eduardo Ramírez Aguilar, chair of the Constitutional Matters Commission in Mexico.MEXICO CITY, MEXICODuring a devotional attended by 800 youth from eight stakes in Mexico City and broadcast to 38,000 youth throughout Mexico on February 10, Elder Cook spoke of the importance of obtaining a testimony and encouraged the youth to be worthy of a temple recommend.Youth and young married devotionals Elder Quentin L. Cook addresses missionaries during his assignment to Mexico February 8–17, 2019.During the trip the leaders participated in a historic religious freedom forum held on February 15 in the auditorium of the Mexican Senate—a unique venue given the strict interpretation of separation of church and state by Mexican law.The missionaries in Mexico were very impressive, said Elder Cook.During a missionary meeting with 155 missionaries from the Mexico Mérida Mission on February 15, Elder Cook made reference to the First Presidency announcement a day earlier updating the guidelines regarding communication between full-time missionaries and their families. But the missionaries had not yet learned that—effective immediately—they could communicate with their families each week on preparation day by text messages, online messaging, phone calls, and video chats in addition to letters and emails.“I saw great hope for the promise of the Church in Mexico with these young, vibrant couples,” said Elder Clayton.Missionary surpriseMexico is great center of strength for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said Elder Quentin L. Cook after returning from 10 days in the North American nation on February 17.The leaders and their wives answered questions from the youth, with the event hosted by two youth from two Mexico City stakes—Karim Noffal Cabanillas, a priest in the Tacubaya stake, and Pahoran Parra Cruz, a Laurel from the Chapultepec stake.During the devotional, the leaders reminded the youth of their potential to become a light and invited them to have faith, to serve and love others, and to be tolerant and courageous. Elder Cook encouraged them to always seek the guidance of the Spirit to make the important decisions.Elder Cook was accompanied by his wife, Sister Mary Cook; Elder L. Whitney Clayton of the Presidency of the Seventy and his wife, Sister Kathy Clayton; Bishop W. Christopher Waddell of the Presiding Bishopric and his wife, Sister Carol Waddell; and members of the Mexico Area Presidency and their wives—Elder Arnulfo Valenzuela and Sister Silvia Valenzuela, Elder Rafael E. Pino and Sister Patricia Pino, and Elder John C. Pingree Jr. and Sister Anne Pingree.Added Elder Clayton: “They were sharp. They were happy.”Religious freedom

Richard Norby talks about his recovery from the March 2016 terrorist attack on the Brussels airport at home in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, July 27, 2016. Norby was in Brussels serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In addition to shrapnel wounds and burns, Norby lost a significant amount of soft tissue on his leg and broke it in two places. Photo by Kristin Murphy, Deseret News.Pam was alone in their apartment when the airport bombs detonated. But the lonesome anguish she suffered in the hours before being reunited with her husband at a Belgian hospital was staggering.“I also had an overwhelming and greater appreciation for the fact that the Savior had suffered for all of our pains and sorrows and inabilities and inadequacies.”Others on the hospital staff were soon asking their own questions about the Church and missionary work.News reports count Richard Norby and the other injured missionaries among the victims of the 2016 Belgian terrorist attacks.He rides both horses and bicycles and, in recent days, worked up a sweat shoveling Utah’s prodigious snowfall from his driveway.The Norbys draw upon their own well-publicized experiences to assure others that they are not alone. The same divine protection that shielded Richard in those terrifying nine seconds between the airport blasts is available to all seeking Christ’s love.“It was a reminder that even when we find ourselves in need of blessings and we’re dealing with our own challenges, there are still opportunities for us to serve and bless others,” said Pam.“Second of all, He knew what had happened to all the other people in the airport and what they were feeling and who they were.”Mortality’s woundsThe Belgium visit, said Pam, promises moments of closure and happy reunion.But each day, he tells the Church News, he gets a bit better.She also found peace in her calling. Yes, her husband was seriously injured and under the 24-hour care of medical professionals. But the Norbys were still missionaries. Their charge to share the gospel had not changed.Like Elder Norby and his fellow missionaries at the airport that day, all will be wounded in some form. It is one of life’s defining truths.“There was a feeling or an impression … that God knew who I was and where I was at and what had happened.LEHI, UTAHLast October in general conference, Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles pointed to the eternal lessons that the wounded missionaries and many others learned from that sinister experience.In his general conference address, Elder Andersen shared a quote from the Norbys that they still adhere to today: “Disappointment comes to visit on occasion but is never allowed to stay.”That divine reassurance—a certainty that he and everyone else trapped in an airport under attack were under the watch of an atoning Savior—sustained the senior missionary at the moment. They sustained him in the days, weeks, and months that followed.Like her husband, she surrendered herself entirely to the Lord. The situation, she said, was far beyond her control.First, she learned of all the people who were praying for her husband and the other injured missionaries.When a doctor once suggested Elder Norby gulp down a cup of coffee for a morning pick-me-up, the missionary companionship seized the opening and taught him about the Word of Wisdom.“I knew that, live or die, things would be OK because He was in charge.”But the couple rejects that classification. Being victimized, explained Richard, is what the terrorists desired.“I didn’t know what the Lord was going to do next, but I knew that the Lord knew,” she said. “He had a plan, and I had to learn to trust His plan and have hope.”The Norbys had been true to their covenants and were representing the Lord as missionaries. So why, asked Elder Andersen, would they be afflicted by this tragedy?Nine seconds were all that separated the first and second terrorist bombings at the Brussels airport on March 22, 2016. But even in that brief interlude between explosions that killed dozens and injured hundreds, Elder Richard Norby experienced a moment of instantaneous clarity.“There were football teams and groups of nuns and people from one part of the country to the other who were praying.”Stairs are challenging, but he’s quick to add he can still roughhouse with the grandkids.“I feel good every morning and I sleep well at night,” he said. “I enjoy most of the things I’ve always enjoyed, just at a slower pace.”“Although the details will differ, the tragedies, the unanticipated tests and trials, both physical and spiritual, come to each of us because this is mortality,” he said.Disappointment not “allowed to stay”What can you do in nine seconds?“Wounds of the soul are not unique to the rich or the poor, to one culture, one nation, or one generation,” Elder Andersen taught. “They come to all and are part of the learning we receive from this mortal experience.”

Richard Norby is greeted as recovers in the hospital following a terrorist bombing in Brussels, Belgium. Photo courtesy of Norby family.

“Better emotionally. Better physically.”“So that’s what we chose to be from the very beginning: a survivor in this game of life.”In the days after the bombings, Sister Norby found comfort in unexpected ways.That’s not much time—maybe just enough to, say, tie a pair of shoes or check a text message. The fastest human time ever recorded in the 100-meter dash (by Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt in 2009) still took longer than nine seconds.Some are dealing with a cancer diagnosis. For others, a drug problem or other addictions. Pam empathizes deeply for anyone watching a loved one suffer.Thankfully, relatively few people will be physically harmed by a terrorist’s violence. But the Norbys insist the challenges they endure are no greater than those challenges affecting folks that they meet at church, at the clinic, in their neighborhood, or via emails and letters.“So if we’re not victims, we only have one other choice—to be a survivor,” he said.

Richard Norby holds an X-ray that shows his broken leg and many pieces of shrapnel while talking about his recovery from the March 2016 terrorist attack. Photo by Kristin Murphy, Deseret News.

Peace through service, work

Richard Norby recovers in the hospital following a bombing in Brussels, Belgium. Photo courtesy of Norby family.

Almost three years have passed since the terrorist attack that continues to affect the 69-year-old retired seminary teacher. A few of the wounds he suffered in the bombings will likely never entirely heal. He visits regularly with burn care doctors and his balance is not quite right. His wife and one-time missionary companion, Pam, still changes the wraps on his damaged left foot.Richard enthusiastically reports he is fit for transcontinental travel. Next month, he and Pam will return to Brussels to commemorate the third anniversary of the bombing. They also plan to reconnect with many of the surgeons, nurses, first responders, fellow Latter-day Saints, and friends who helped them make it through the nightmare that ended their mission.Latter-day Saints and countless others fell to their knees in prayer on that awful morning almost three years ago. Counted among the airport bombing victims were Elder Norby and three fellow full-time missionaries: Elder Mason Wells, Elder Dres Empey, and Sister Fanny Clain.But there was more.

Brother LeFevre handled media questions about policy and doctrine, arranged for interviews, conducted press conferences, and hosted national and international media visiting the Church in Salt Lake City.Following his graduation from the University of Utah, he worked for the Salt Lake Tribune before beginning his long public relations career. He also did part-time broadcasting and reporting for the Associated Press’ Salt Lake City bureau for many years.Funeral services will be Monday, February 25, at 11 a.m. at the Bountiful Utah Central Stake Center, 650 S. 750 East in Bountiful, Utah.Brother LeFevre mentioned the 1978 revelation of the priesthood, numerous announcements of new temples, and news and events associated with the Church’s general conferences as highlights.He worked 36 years in public relations for the Church—first as an account executive and copy writer for the Salt Lake City advertising firm David W. Evans & Associates, with the Church as his primary account for more than a decade, and later when the Church created its own public relations office in 1973.He married Bonnie Bloom on October 22, 1959; they were the parents of four sons and a daughter. She preceded him in death, passing away on January 14, 2017.In 1989, he succeeded Jerry P. Cahill as the Church’s director of media relations; in 1993, he became manager of print media and news service relations, holding that position until his retirement in January 1999.Don LeFevre, a frequently quoted former spokesman for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died of natural causes Wednesday, February 20, 2019, surrounded by his children. He was 85 years old.Survivors include his four sons and daughter, 20 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, and a sister. He was preceded in death by his wife, parents, a sister, three brothers, and a granddaughter.

L. Don LeFevre. Photo courtesy of Deseret News archives.

He was public relations director for Church exhibits at the 1964-65 World’s Fair in New York City; Hemisfair ’68 in San Antonio, Texas; and Expo ’75 in Spokane, Washington, as well as at the Hill Cumorah Pageant from 1967 to 1976.

Brother L. Don Lefevre and Sister Bonnie LeFevre at the time of their call to the Laie Hawaii Temple Visitors Center in 2000. Photo courtesy of Deseret News archives.

He was born Louis Don LeFevre on October 6, 1933, in Murray, Utah; son of John Alphonso and Valora Ella Allsop LeFevre. After growing up in Sandy, Utah, and attending local schools there, he joined the U.S. Army in 1953, then attended the University of Utah before interrupting his studies to serve as a full-time missionary for the Church in the Eastern States Mission.After retirement, he served as director of the Laie Hawaii Temple Visitors’ Center with his wife, Sister Bonnie LeFevre.

Despite dealing with these symptoms since she was a child—noting she earned the nickname “Blue Sue”—she didn’t seek help for her depression for a long time. It wasn’t until a particularly rough patch in her life, when Elder Clark was serving as a bishop of an urban ward and was away from home frequently, that she read a magazine article about depression and began to think that she might need help.Sister Clark is the wife of Elder Kim B. Clark, a General Authority Seventy and Commissioner of Church Education.Not long after that night, she received a distinct impression to call the mother of a new family in her ward. This mother had been dealing with sick and sleepless children that night, and when Sister Clark asked if she could come by for a short visit, she welcomed her in.Second, “We can never say, ‘Oh, we must have made the wrong decision,’ just because life gets hard.”Speaking at an LDS Business College devotional in the Conference Center Theater on Tuesday, February 19, Sister Sue Clark shared what she learned about staying on the “strait and narrow path” while working through trials.He wrote to her: “The Lord gives us weaknesses to help us to remember to rely on Him—it doesn’t really matter what your weakness is or how ‘bad’ it is—everyone who suffers can find deliverance in the Savior. … The Lord blesses us with medications, counselors, spiritual healing, and His Atonement. In my worst times is when I’m most acutely aware of how much I need Jesus Christ, and for that I am thankful.”When this woman answered the door, she tearfully told her, “Thank you so much for coming. I prayed hard last night for help, not knowing how I could face another night with my sick child. But the Lord said to me, ‘Don’t worry. Sue Clark will call in the morning.’”“When I heard that, I knew the Lord had sent me on His errand,” Sister Clark said. “He needed me to help this family.” Elder Kim B. Clark, Sister Sue Clark, LDS Business College President Bruce C. Kusch, and Sister Alynda Kusch greet LDS Business College students as they enter the Conference Center Theater for a devotional on February 19, 2019. Photo by Valerie Johnson.She shared two things that they have learned about doing what the Lord wants.During one sleepless night, Sister Clark went to Heavenly Father in prayer. With a list of reasons why she might need medical help, as well as challenges she and her family had been facing, she cried and prayed to God for help to know whether she should look for help or get better on her own.In addition to seeking for all the medical help they can find, Sister Clark and her family “press forward with more love in our hearts for our Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ,” she said.When enduring the trials of life, some may wonder, “Why me?” But a better question to ask Heavenly Father is “What do you want me to learn from this?”Sister Clark then shared a quote from her oldest son, Bryce, who has struggled with bipolar disorder since his late teens.“We just keep going. Keep trying. Keep loving and serving, moving forward—pressing forward—guided by the word of the Lord through feasting every day on His words, especially in the Book of Mormon, no matter what comes.”But the harder and longer she prayed, “I didn’t feel that I was being heard,” she said.During the time that she was serving with her husband as he presided over BYU–Idaho, she learned that many students were concerned about how to make wise life choices.First, “He never says, ‘Just as long as you follow me, doing what I direct you to do, everything will be smooth.’”“In making our life decisions … seeking to know the will of the Lord, for us, was paramount,” Sister Clark said.As the Clark family adopted this new family into their lives to help them with their challenges, Sister Clark found that it was just what they needed. “I was able to mend, and so did our whole family,” she said.One trial the Clarks both encounter is Sister Clark’s struggle with depression. “Every test and trial we experience is complicated by the fact that I can easily get discouraged, fearful, and negative,” she explained.In stepping outside of her own circle of struggles to serve this family, Sister Clark found that her own family was blessed. And, she added, “in helping this young mother to find professional help to get medication for her stress-related depression, I was able to find the courage to get help for myself.” Elder Kim B. Clark, General Authority Seventy and Commissioner of Church Education, introduces his wife, Sister Sue Clark, before her LDS Business College devotional address on February 19, 2019. Photo by Valerie Johnson.When no prompting or answer came, Sister Clark stood and began walking up the stairs to go back to sleep. Then on the third or fourth stair, she heard in her mind these words: “Help someone else.”She recounted that when she married Elder Clark, they faced some life choices right away, but they didn’t start out knowing every choice they would need to make.

—Madeline Evans of Riverton, served in the Chile Osorno Mission, 2016–2018, Spanish speaking—Jeff Rowland of West Jordan served in the Philippines Ilagan Mission (now called the Cuauyan Mission), 1990–1992, Tagalog speakingI didn’t understand much for the first three months of my time in Italy. I spent most of my time “talking” to the young children and toddlers in the branch.***—Huang Yi-Hsuan, Milano, Italy, served in the California Carlsbad Mission, 2008–2010, native lanugage is Chinese, English-speaking missionIn preparing my missionary application, I recall taking a test to test my ability to learn a foreign language. I must have done fairly well as I was called to the Finnish Mission. Upon entering the LTM and in attempting to speak only Finnish, all my high school German came flooding into the vacuum of my mind. This was only exacerbated by the fact that the Scandinavian branch president was out of town for the first month and we met for Sunday services with a German-speaking branch.I think that I knew about two words of Spanish before I entered the missionary training center, and then the fact that I could walk away two months later speaking rudimentary Spanish to me is miraculous. It was intense. It was emotional. It was exhausting. It was fulfilling. It was deeply spiritual. It was said of me that they thought I might never learn Spanish, but I did.***—Clair Bigler of American Fork served in the Italy Rome Mission, 1985–1986, Italian speaking—Roger T McDowell of Snowflake, Arizona, served in the Belgium Brussels Mission, October 1972–October 1974, French and Wallon speakingI wanted to learn Finnish very well and it was only after I had been out about a year that I listened to my mission president and his promise that he would fulfill any righteous desire. I asked for a native companion and received one the next transfer. On a visit to a Swedish-speaking area for a conference, I indicated that I would like to learn Swedish. Again, the next transfer took me to Pietarsaari (Jakobstad), where I spent the last four months of my mission.******Upon leaving the mission field, my companions and I separated at the airport in New York City. At times I was talking to the people next to me on the plane, not realizing I was speaking to them in Spanish. Shortly after I returned home I secured a position as a teacher’s aide in a nearby school district. Out of about 50 applicants, mostly native Spanish-speakers, I placed third in the language skills the administrators were looking for. Today when I hear certain words or sing certain Church hymns, I fondly recall that I first learned them in Spanish.The Deseret News asked readers for their experiences learning a language while serving a mission, whether they learned in-country or in a more formal training setting. There was an overwhelming number of responses. Here are several of the experiences, which have been edited for length and clarity.—Kristi Jensen of Provo served in the Paraguay Asuncion Mission, 1982–1984, Spanish speaking—Ronald David Cannon of Ukiah, California, served in the Finland Helsinki Mission, June 1978–June 1980, speaking Finnish and Swedish “During the early 1970s, the Men’s Gym was used at times as living quarters for missionaries. The Gym is in the Training Building of the old Brigham Young Academy campus, located between 500 and 600 North on the east side of University Avenue.” —This is the caption information found on the frame plaque accompanying this photo, one of nearly a dozen historical photos showing the development of the Language Training Mission and Missionary Training Center facilities in Provo since the 1960s. Photo provided by the Provo Missionary Training Center.—Michael D. Russell, Spanish Fork and St. George, served in the Franco-Belgium Mission, November 1965 to May 1968, French speaking—Earl F Hurst of Farmington served in the South Africa Johannesburg Mission, 1979–1981, speaking Afrikaans***I served in an every-day two-language mission. In the missionary training center, we learned the Tahitian language for six weeks and then tried to learn French for the next six weeks while trying not to forget everything we were taught in Tahitian. Learning a new language by having instructors teach it to you speaking in this other new language you just learned last week was not easy. Tahitian and French are not alike—Polynesian language vs. Romance language. Once learned, they can together create an extraordinary mélange of words! I used both languages every day of my mission, but it was several months in the field before I was comfortable with any one language, let alone both.***I studied French a year in junior high, two years in high school, and one year in junior college. I served a mission in the Franco-Belgium Mission from November 1965 to May 1968. Learning by mastering the six discussions in French and being immersed in the Waloon and French cultures, with the foundation of my language education, is how I became proficient in French. After retirement, I finished my lengthy French academics and received a bachelor’s degree in French in 2014.Before serving a mission, I had studied Japanese, Spanish, and ASL for a couple years each. But Cantonese was the hardest. And yet it’s now the most comfortable to me. Strange as that sounds! I remember how at first, nothing was familiar, like it sometimes is in other languages. It was a bit overwhelming. But my experience in the missionary training center was so positive and I was excited, feeling like I was progressing. Then, I got to the mission field and thought, “This is not the language they taught me in the MTC!” But the language did come. And now, I don’t want to ever lose the language ability, because it is a part of my testimony of how the Lord can do miracles with our willingness, desire, efforts, and trust in Him! I am so grateful for all of my experiences on my mission.—Ariel Coronetti de Paiva of Porto Alegre, Brazil, served in the Massachusetts Boston Mission, 2016–2017, English and creole speakingIt was hard and exciting at the same time. Learning the German language in eight weeks was difficult—especially as a new convert and trying to learn about the Church’s culture at the same time. I have fond memories of making friendships and testimony building experiences. I was in Amanda Knight Hall and love to go by it every time I’m in Provo.Learning a new language was not easy. I was in the Mexico Missionary Training Center for six weeks. When I first got there, I felt like it was going to be impossible for me to be able to get the basics of Spanish down in only six weeks before going to Chile. Something incredible happens when you are doing something for the interest of other people and not just yourself. At the end of my six weeks, I may not have been fluent in Spanish, but I was confident in my little Spanish that I did know and in my ability to learn a language. When I got to Chile, there was still much to learn, but after four short months I was able to get more solid understanding of the language. Even though I am home now, I still use my Spanish almost every day and am still learning.—Curtis Allen Bramell of Manteca, California, served in the Vanuatu Port Vila Mission, 2015–2017, Bislama speakingThe immersive spiritual and language environment in the missionary training center promoted rapid language learning, despite the fact that Norwegian was a second language for most of my wonderful teachers. Due to a gift of being able to memorize and another gift of stubborn persistence, I was able to pass off all of the discussions in Norwegian during my time at the missionary training center, a feat that I was told was unusual. My score on the common language test was pretty high. I chalked all of this up to the gift of tongues.—Raymond Kent Race of Mesquite, Nevada, served in the Central American Mission (Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama), November 1973–November 1975, Spanish speakingI learned Bislama on my mission to Vanuatu. When I served, Bislama was not taught in the missionary training center and I had to learn in the field. I remember my first day thinking, “I am never going to get this.” After about two months, it clicked. It just made sense. It only improved in from that moment on.*** “The Amanda Knight Hall, a Brigham Young University dormitory, was assigned to the Language Training Mission in July of 1964. It served as a residence hall and classroom primarily for German-speaking missionaries until August 1976.” —This is the caption information found on the frame plaque accompanying this photo, one of nearly a dozen historical photos showing the development of the Language Training Mission and Missionary Training Center facilities in Provo since the 1960s. Photo provided by the Provo Missionary Training Center.***—Jared Schoeny of Hamilton, Virginia, served in the Marshall Islands/Kiribati Mission (Kiribati Region), 2016–2018, Kiribati speakingI’m Brazilian and I was assigned to serve in Portuguese, but I had to learn English because I’d probably contact in English and go on exchanges, so I was excited to go to the Provo MTC to practice the language. However, my visa took a long time to get approved, so I ended up going to the São Paulo Missionary Training Center, with no English classes. When I got to Boston, I learned I would also have to learn and teach in Cape Verdean creole, a language I had no contact with before my mission. I was afraid of talking to people, but I prayed and studied chapter 7 of Preach My Gospelevery day. Heavenly Father loves each one of His children, and when He gives us challenges, He prepares a way for us that we may accomplish the things which He commanded us (see 1 Nephi 3:7). Since I understood that statement, learning English and Cape Verdean creole became a delightful task, and I knew that it didn't matter the situation, the Holy Ghost would put words in my mouth to teach in a way I could meet the needs of the people, in whatever language I had to teach.***I was 19 and right out of high school when I opened my mission call. When the call said Finland I thought it was Thailand, so it took me a while to find it on the map. I had never learned another language, and I heard that Finnish was difficult. President Luthey and his wife, who had just been released as mission president, were invited to our home in Provo for family home evening. They were so gracious. They gave me a brief introduction to the language, which helped me see what I was in for. I wasn’t the smartest kid in town, but I was surprised at how well I was picking things up in the missionary training center. I had learned the first three discussions by the time I arrived in Finland. The other three came shortly thereafter.***—Aomalu Niue (Hermana Logovii) of Midvale served in the Bolivia Santa Cruz Mission, April 2015–October 2016, Spanish speakingI didn’t feel overwhelmed until I got out in the field. We left the missionary training center thinking we could speak and understand the language until someone spoke to you and you didn’t understand one word they said because they were speaking so fast. But it doesn’t take much time to catch up and understand.*** “The Alumni House is where the original Missionary Language Institute began. In November of 1961, university officials and others involved with the ‘pilot program’ assembled here to discuss plans for the new language institute. This building provided classroom and office space for missionary training until June of 1963.” —This is the caption information found on the frame plaque accompanying this photo, one of nearly a dozen historical photos showing the development of the Language Training Mission and Missionary Training Center facilities in Provo since the 1960s. Photo provided by the Provo Missionary Training Center.***I’ll always be grateful for the time I spent at the Language Training Mission. It gave me a solid foundation of language training and the scriptures and how to hear the language of the Spirit. The language training was intense and fast. I remember we covered in the first week at the LTM what it took an entire semester to cover in my first Spanish class in college. I really felt I was being taught by the Spirit because I struggled a bit with Spanish in college before my mission, but at the LTM it just came together. We also were supposed to memorize dozens of scriptures that went along with the discussions that we were learning. I know I was blessed with the ability to memorize and remember scriptures like never before also. Learning the discussions was more of a challenge for me, but the fact that I was able to memorize them at all was another testimony that I was being blessed by the Spirit. Even today, I’m able to remember specific parts of the discussions that have helped me in speaking or teaching situations explain gospel topics.We started our two-year mission in 1972 in an old school by Temple Square and ate downstairs at the Hotel Utah. After a week there we went to the Provo LTM to start learning French, which was also taught there. We used some word plays with English words that when put together sounded like French phrases. “When the Language Training Mission was faced with overcrowded conditions, missionaries were required to live in the Men’s Gym. Elders who stayed in the gym called it the ‘Provo Hilton.’” —This is the caption information found on the frame plaque accompanying this photo, one of nearly a dozen historical photos showing the development of the Language Training Mission and Missionary Training Center facilities in Provo since the 1960s. Photo provided by the Provo Missionary Training Center.—John Boekweg of San Antonio served in Finland, 1988–1990 “The Knight-Mangum Hall, located on the southeast part of the Brigham Young University campus, served as a women’s dormitory until it became the central office for the Language Training Mission on June 16, 1963. From June of 1963 until August of 1976, the Knight-Mangum Hall served as a place for missionaries to live, eat, learn and worship.” —This is the caption information found on the frame plaque accompanying this photo, one of nearly a dozen historical photos showing the development of the Language Training Mission and Missionary Training Center facilities in Provo since the 1960s. Photo provided by the Provo Missionary Training Center.It probably took about two months before I felt more comfortable and fluent in both speaking and understanding. During that time when we were in Church meetings or speaking with investigators, I went through a little mind game of “listen, translate; translate, speak; repeat.” Eventually I was thinking and praying in Spanish, and if there were words that I didn’t understand, I could still get the context of what was being discussed. One of the greatest blessings came several months into my mission when I was assigned to a companion whose native language was Spanish.There was one coveted language tool, an out-of-print Kiribati-English dictionary that could only be obtained from being transferred to a remote outer island and asking one of the schools there for one, but even that was full of outdated words that no longer existed in the modern language. The only true resource we had was to talk with and ask the Kiribati people, building up your own dictionary of Kiribati words. Most missionaries could never completely master the grammar, as there were no complete resources to do so, and Kiribati people didn’t think of their language as having “grammar rules,” that it was just the way it is.***—Harvey Armbrust of Placentia, California, served in Germany-Hamburg, 1989–1991, German speakingWhen I received my call to serve in Norway, I quickly discovered that I would be speaking Norwegian, a language about which I knew nothing. … Dad’s great-grandfather had moved to Germany from Norway, so I had roots in the country. … I checked out some basic Norwegian audiotapes from the library but everything I learned in the weeks prior to leaving for my mission was superseded within 48 hours of entering the missionary training center.Scandinavian languages, Finnish and Dutch, were taught at then Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho, in the late 1960s. The missionaries stayed in a large pink house just off campus. Most missionaries were up on time due to the hot water always running out while taking showers. Meals and classes were on campus. During the time I was there we were able to get exercise playing soccer and basketball. … We worked hard, and it was exhausting. One was particularly tough. She made us repeat phrases in unison until we said them correctly. Everyone was happy to move on to his or her fields of labor. Finnish was a difficult language to learn. Every time I heard an elder going to Finland pray, I was glad I was going to Sweden. “At times during the early 1970s, missionaries were asked to live in some unlikely places—the Women’s Gym was one of them. The Gym is located directly across the street from the old Brigham Young Academy on University Avenue in Provo.” —This is the caption information found on the frame plaque accompanying this photo, one of nearly a dozen historical photos showing the development of the Language Training Mission and Missionary Training Center facilities in Provo since the 1960s. Photo provided by the Provo Missionary Training Center.Language training for missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has ranged from when early missionaries spent time learning in-country to the more structured training provided by the Language Training Mission and the current missionary training centers worldwide.******—Alfred Verboonen Fabela, Pittsburg, California, served in the Brazilian Mission, 1965–1967, Portuguese speakingI was the first sister missionary from Samoa assigned to the Bolivia Santa Cruz Mission. Spanish was my third language, which I had learned there. It was fascinating and a language of faith. Until this day, I can still interpret my testimony more profoundly when I speak my third language other than any other language I was taught growing up.—Marlise Dawn Craig Smurthwaite of Castle Rock, Colorado, served in the Hong Kong Mission, 1998–1999, Cantonese speaking—Robert Wayne Jacobson of Farmington served in the Sweden Mission, March 1972–March 1974, Swedish speaking***It was definitely nerve-wracking. Even though I studied Japanese three years previously, I still struggled. One of the most amazing miracles is that the two-month learning process is the strongest and solid foundation you’ll ever build before heading out into the world and preach that language. … It was stressful and I thought I aged 100 years after that experience, but it was still a great one. If I hadn’t diligently studied at the missionary training center, I would have struggled more than I did when I first hopped into the mission.***Silent Sunday was the first Sunday in the missionary training center. You were only allowed to speak your language to your companion. After three days in the missionary training center one could basically introduce yourself. Thus became Silent Sunday.***I was part of the last group of missionaries ever called to the Philippines that didn’t get language training. Just before my district left the missionary training center in Provo, the first group to get training in Tagalog entered the missionary training center. I learned how to say “yes” and “no” before I left. I owe my proficiency in Tagalog to my first companion and a returned missionary that lived in my first area who took time several days a week to give me language training at the Church building.***—Jesse R Gale Jr., Chandler, Arizona, served in the Spain Madrid Mission, November 1975–November 1977, Spanish speakingAt the missionary training center, we’d have “language fasts” where we would only speak our mission language for the majority of the day. It took a lot of determination, but I felt like it also grew our excitement in learning the language. This came in handy because once in the mission, you were practically immersed in the language. After some major headaches, it would finally start to click. Now I treasure the Spanish language, and it’s another language of my heart.******I knew at that point that the Holy Ghost would be with me as I continued to learn Italian and He would be with me when I testified of the gospel—even if I didn’t know what to say or how to say it. I understood where the true gift of tongues originated. I just needed to continue to study Italian and He would help me speak and bear witness of the gospel.It was frustrating and it was wonderful. The teachers were amazing and patient. The purpose of being there is what allows one to persevere and make it through. The missionary training center president led with humor and spirit. … It was a great experience!An entry in the 2013 Church Almanac notes that in January 1969—50 years ago—“Two-month language missions began. Language training for missionaries prior to their departure to their mission field first began in the early 1960s for Spanish, Portuguese, and German language missions.”—Richard Berlie Wright of Orangevale, California, served in the Switzerland Zurich Mission, 1975–1977, German speakingOne of the things that helped me was the training and emphasis on listening to the voice of the Spirit and being able to testify. A very short time after arriving in Spain my companion and I were teaching a young family. The mother didn’t believe what we were teaching and asked me if I really believed anything that we were telling them. I remember distinctly hearing the Spirit tell me to simply bear my testimony of the eternal nature of the family. I didn’t find out until 14 years later that the Spirit touched her heart and she knew it was true. …Upon arriving at the airport in Norway, I discovered how little Norwegian I actually knew when I had to make a claim for a missing piece of luggage. A very patient clerk helped me struggle through the process. I later found that the fellow spoke perfect English. He just wanted to help me learn a little more Norwegian.—Justin Ashton of Fort Worth served in the Tahiti Papeete Mission, 2000–2002, Tahitian and French speaking—Rochelle R. Hale of Simi Valley, California, served in the Argentina East (renamed Argentina Rosario) Mission 1974–1976, Spanish speaking***—George Potter of Goshen, Indiana, served in the Thailand Bangkok Mission, 1993–1995, Thai speaking—Angela Grace Crocker Duff served in the Hong Kong Mission, February 1984–July 1985, Cantonese speaking A look at the newly expanded missionary training center (MTC) in Provo, Utah. Photo provided by the Provo Missionary Training Center.One evening, while teaching a man in his home (or listening while my companion taught him), I had a faith-building experience that gave me confidence with the language moving forward. The man kept referring to the Book of Mormon as the “Book of Joseph Smith.” He repeated it enough times that I understood what he was saying. I can only say that the Spirit guided me that evening because I interjected, rather boldly, and corrected him by testifying that it was not Joseph Smith’s book. It was written by a prophet named Mormon and translated by Joseph Smith under the direction of our Heavenly Father. After my input, my companion continued to teach him more about the Book of Mormon. The gentleman no longer called it the Book of Joseph Smith. There was more that I said, but afterwards as we walked home, I couldn’t remember what it was.***After two months in the missionary training center learning Italian and even serving as a “translator” during Church services to the new missionaries, I felt pretty confident with the language as I headed to Italy. I was quickly humbled. My first city was Prato, just north of Florence (Firenze). It was quickly apparent that they did not speak the same Italian I had learned in the missionary training center. In the Tuscan region, the hard C sound is pronounced almost like an H. For example, Coca-Cola becomes Hoha-Hola.***

“Bidding for construction of the Language Training Mission opened July 2, 1974. By November 1, the foundations of several buildings were above ground.” —This is the caption information found on the frame plaque accompanying this photo, one of nearly a dozen historical photos showing the development of the Language Training Mission and Missionary Training Center facilities in Provo since the 1960s. Photo provided by the Provo Missionary Training Center.

I remember how hard I thought I worked at learning Thai in the missionary training center, only to get out to Thailand and be completely humbled at my inability to speak and understand well enough to really communicate with people in the mission field. I remember being ridiculed by native Thai people on my inability to speak as well as my trainer, who was truly gifted in the language. I remember when it finally “clicked” in my head, and I could truly understand and speak without having to translate everything in my head—even though I still couldn’t say everything I wanted to yet. I remember when I buckled down on my mission, and really devoted energy to speaking, reading, and writing, how I was blessed for my efforts and how my ability to remember and retain vocabulary multiplied, and my language abilities really improved.***The spiritual and learning experience in the missionary training center helped my missionary work a lot. The interaction with missionaries from international areas was great as well. The training and principles I learned from the missionary training center truly assisted me to speak to investigators in many aspects. I am still applying the positive attitude in improving my English every day. “The Roberts Hotel in downtown Provo was the first residence hall for missionaries. Because the decision to create the Missionary Language Institute evolved rather quickly in 1961, there was not enough time to obtain the already occupied campus housing. After six months, housing was located nearer the campus, although missionaries stayed in the hotel off and on during the 1960s when other rooms were unavailable. At times, missionaries occupied the entire top floor.” —This is the caption information found on the frame plaque accompanying this photo, one of nearly a dozen historical photos showing the development of the Language Training Mission and Missionary Training Center facilities in Provo since the 1960s. Photo provided by the Provo Missionary Training Center.—Christine Minenno Pinkston of Draper served in the Buenos Aires South Mission, November 1987–May 1989, Spanish speaking—Maria Lor of Salt Lake City served in the Japan Sendai Mission, 2016–2018, Japanese speaking “The Allen Hall served as another residence for missionaries. It was acquired by the Institute in June of 1962 because it was close to campus and had its own cafeteria. Mainly, Portuguese-speaking missionaries lived in Allen Hall until 1976.” —This is the caption information found on the frame plaque accompanying this photo, one of nearly a dozen historical photos showing the development of the Language Training Mission and Missionary Training Center facilities in Provo since the 1960s. Photo provided by the Provo Missionary Training Center.My language training began with taking a standardized exam that was given to all prospective missionaries as part of the application process to determine foreign language aptitude. This was part of the missionary application process. When I entered the LTM, my first few days of classroom learning were confused with the French language I had studied in school. I had to make a concerted effort to “forget” in order to learn Spanish. We were encouraged to speak Spanish at all times with our companions and during our lessons. …My experience was a positive one for me. I am now 73 years old and I still speak Portuguese, the language I learned as a 20-year-old.Every day I was in Norway I forced myself to learn five new Norwegian words. I queried locals about grammar and vocabulary. … I felt like I was excelling in the technical aspects of Norwegian, but I still felt very foreign. Eventually I started mimicking the way Norwegians spoke. … One day while we were speaking to a Norwegian, the man turned to me and said, “You should teach your American friend to speak better Norwegian. He has a terrible American accent.”—Brittany DeKorver of Orem served in the Illinois Chicago Mission, April 2013–October 2014, Spanish speaking***I haven’t been back to Europe for more than three and a half decades. But I continue to regularly study scriptures in Norwegian. I read Norwegian news on the internet and otherwise keep the language alive in my head. … The language has become a part of me.At the end of my mission I was speaking fluently and English was the hard language. A new missionary in my apartments that had only been out a month or two was having a conversation with a cashier and another American that had been in Hong Kong studying the language for four years and still couldn’t speak the language.Learning a foreign language is never easy, but in the missionary training center you eat, sleep, and live that language with 14 hours of training and practice a day. I had fun learning Cantonese along with the struggle. I tended to remember all the unusual words that no one else could remember. We had cassette tapes of sounds and tones to help use with our pronunciation and to teach us the seven different tones for each sound.***The Language Training Mission was established in the 1960s in the Hotel Roberts and other Brigham Young University buildings, including the Amanda Knight Hall and the Knight Magum Building. The missionary training center in Provo opened in the 1970s, and there are several other missionary training centers around the world.Speak Your Language was the program I learned in November 1987 at the Provo Missionary Training Center. It was difficult to honestly speak it every day despite the fact that I had taken three years of Spanish in high school. It was a good preparation for heading to Argentina, where it took me an additional two months to actually speak to the natives fluently enough for them to understand me.Having memorized the discussions in Finnish made it much easier for me to learn the small talk once I arrived in Helsinki. I’ll never consider myself a “kieliepaa” (an expert in the Finnish language), but I managed to get around and communicate well enough to help make a difference. Having learned a foreign language gave me confidence that I was smart enough to do well in college. I consider the mission and language learning experience to be among the richest I have ever had.Learning the Kiribati language was interesting because of the limited resources we had. There was no dictionary available for us at the missionary training center. Other resources—a thesaurus and a Peace Corps guide—both had their share of mistakes.The Language Training Mission began with the initial filing process to serve a mission. We were required to take a test at the Institute of Religion on the campus of University of Southern California in Los Angeles. I went with two other friends and we were to listen to a record (that was the technology of the day) and follow directions. It was later on that the language we were tested with was the Kurdish language. My buddies ended up going to the Rockford Illinois Mission and England. I recall joking with them, “I guess we know who passed the test!” I was also at the LTM over Thanksgiving and Christmas of 1973, which included the funeral of President Harold B. Lee.—Scott Hinrichs of North Ogden served in the Norway Oslo Mission, 1980–1982, Norwegian speakingI loved the LTM and missed the total outpouring of the Spirit there when I got to Spain. But it served the purpose of giving me a strong foundation that served me well during the rest of my mission and really the rest of my life.******

—Sister Crump, Illinois Nauvoo Mission Members and missionaries ride wagons down Main and Parley Streets in Nauvoo to commemorate the 1846 Nauvoo Exodus. Photo courtesy of Bruce Cornwell. The Nauvoo Legion leads the walk down Main and Parley Streets in Nauvoo to commemorate the 1846 Nauvoo Exodus. Photo courtesy of Bruce Cornwell.The commemoration culminated on the banks of the Mississippi River where Ben Pykles, curator of Church historical sites, delivered a short address. He spoke of the legacy the pioneers left for us today and quoted the following from the May 1842 Times and Seasons newspaper: “Our children will rise up and call us blessed; and generations yet unborn will dwell with peculiar delight upon the scenes that we have passed through, the privations that we have endured; the untiring zeal that we have manifested; the insurmountable difficulties that we have overcome in laying the foundation of a work that brought about the glory and blessings which they will realize.”What a thrill it is to see the fulfillment of that prophecy.The crowd then exited the building to participate in the walk down Main and Parley Streets to the Mississippi River. The Nauvoo Legion, marching to the beat of a solitary drummer, led the way, followed by others carrying flags representing many of the nationalities of those who lived in Nauvoo in the 1840s. Teamsters with wagons were next in line, with missionaries, members, and visitors walking right behind. Parade members wore name tags bearing the names of pioneer ancestors to honor them in their march.In 2002, President Hinckley rededicated the Nauvoo Temple and encouraged members to walk the Trail of Hope to the Mississippi River. Read about the inspiring moment here.On Saturday, February 2, 2019, over 400 people attended the annual commemoration of the pioneer exodus from Nauvoo that commenced on February 4, 1846.The relatively balmy winter temperatures provided a perfect setting for the day’s events. Participants started the day at the Family Living Center, where they enjoyed a continental breakfast with hot chocolate and cider. President Mark Lusvardi, the Illinois Nauvoo Mission president, welcomed everyone to Nauvoo, after which Susan Sims, the area public affairs director, gave remarks reminding all present of the sacrifices of the pioneers and why the commemoration was important.

By holding to these three directives to follow divine law and truth, live after the manner of happiness, and stand firm in holy places, “you will always be right,” Elder Kopischke concluded. “You will come to know our Savior, Jesus Christ. He is willing to guide you along if you allow Him to do so.”He shared three truths that he noted can act as a “compass of clarity amid the fog of life” for those looking to follow the Lord: Elder Erich W. Kopischke and his wife, Sister Christiane Kopischke, speak with President and Sister Tanner following his devotional address at BYU–Hawaii on Tuesday, February 19, 2019. Photo by Yongtong Chen, BYU–Hawaii.

Listen to the prophet.

Keep the commandments and your covenants.

Walk with the Lord; follow Him.

Love the scriptures.

Have families, multiply, and enjoy your life.

Prepare for bad times.

Educate yourself; obtain skills.

Love the temple.

Be diligent; work hard.

Protect and cherish political freedom and freedom of religion.

Serve in the Church.

Quoting Dr. Huang, Elder Kopischke said, “When I was looking for my faith, I was expecting a miracle to help me see the light, but God knew that I would not have believed in miracles, so what He did was put people in my life to show me the truth of the gospel. And I believe in people.”Why do the most treasured blessings often go together with the most severe trials?2. “Live after the manner of happiness” Elder Erich W. Kopischke greets students following his devotional address at BYU–Hawaii on Tuesday, February 19, 2019. Photo by Yongtong Chen, BYU–Hawaii.An example of blessings and trials

Jesus is the Christ, our Savior and Redeemer.

We can sustain His living prophets and be blessed.

The temple is the house of the Lord.

“After five months’ imprisonment in Liberty Jail, the innocent Prophet Joseph Smith shared this powerful conviction: ‘Therefore, dearly beloved brethren [and sisters], let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed,’” Elder Kopischke said.Sharing the story of a man named Dr. Richard Huang, Elder Kopischke related how Dr. Huang had lived most of his life as an atheist and never felt he had a satisfactory answer for the purpose of life. One day, deciding he needed to do something different to find an answer to his question, he requested a free copy of the Bible from the Church. As Elder Kopischke noted, Dr. Huang figured that if atheism couldn’t give him an answer, perhaps an answer could be found through theism.He continued, “I never thought I would ever end up being [a member of the Church]. But what I have found is I have a sense of purpose. It is to become better, to become more like Christ. And now, to me, my faith is everything, and I am so happy that I made that realization.”Extending an invitation to students to test the laws and truths of the gospel for themselves, Elder Kopischke promised students that by doing so, they would come to a sure knowledge of their truth and power.1. Hold on to divine law and absolute truth“Wherefore, stand ye in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come” (Doctrine and Covenants 87:8).Sharing a message from President Russell M. Nelson, which he had given to General Authorities during his first year as President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Elder Kopischke explained how understanding God’s eternal laws and truths can help individuals more clearly navigate the difficulties that confront them.“Living the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ just makes us happy,” he said.That’s the question Elder Erich W. Kopischke, General Authority Seventy, asked as he began his address on Tuesday, February 19, at a devotional on the campus of BYU–Hawaii.While the most holy place on earth is the temple, or house of the Lord, Elder Kopischke shared that holy places can be found or made where individuals can study and ponder the scriptures, pray, and simply try their best to live worthy of the spiritual blessings of God. “If you stand firm in those holy places, striving for the companionship of the Holy Ghost, you will never falter,” he said, noting that the world will certainly make it difficult at times.

Elder Erich W. Kopischke speaks at a devotional at BYU–Hawaii on Tuesday, February 19, 2019. Photo by Yongtong Chen, BYU–Hawaii.

Joseph Smith, the prophet of the Restoration, endured some of the most difficult trials of anyone in the restored Church, Elder Kopischke noted, detailing accounts of the Prophet being tarred and feathered and his time at Liberty Jail. But despite his trials, the Prophet Joseph Smith shared profound statements of inspiration throughout his ministry, which served to lift and support others in their trials.“Let me assure you that despite your trials—even if you are having heart-wrenching questions or experiencing periods of doubt—you can be happy,” he said. “Decide consciously to press forward on the covenant path and live the gospel of Jesus Christ even in times when you might not have all the answers. As you do so, you will be blessed, and you will be happy.”His third and final suggestion for staying cheerful and trusting in Heavenly Father comes as a directive from the Lord, Elder Kopischke said.“Make a conscious decision to live after the manner of happiness,” Elder Kopischke said, introducing his second suggestion. He then shared 11 principles that can help keep individuals living in the way described in 2 Nephi in the Book of Mormon:Happiness is not always as straightforward as one might hope, Elder Kopischke clarified, noting that trials often come even when people are living righteously.A short time after, two sister missionaries showed up on his doorstep to deliver his requested copy of the Bible. They began teaching him and eventually a friend began inviting him to church as well.In his address, Elder Kopischke alluded to the idea that it is through great suffering that great happiness can best be understood and appreciated. And focusing on the many concerns and questions that individuals have when faced with struggles and trials in their lives, he offered three suggestions to help individuals stay cheerful and trust in Heavenly Father, even during the most difficult phases of life.3. “Stand ye in holy places”“Eternal truths are ‘things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come.’ They never change; they are totally predictable and reliable,” Elder Kopischke said. “Some people call these laws the laws of nature, but we know that they are a part of the eternal laws of God. He created and organized the universe, including our earth and our nature, by applying these laws. Because these laws are eternal, they are absolute and they can be proven. They will bless us if we follow them. And so it is with all truth and with all laws that come from God.” Elder Erich W. Kopischke mingles with attendees following his devotional address at BYU–Hawaii on Tuesday, February 19, 2019. Photo by Yongtong Chen, BYU–Hawaii.